Review: A.D. After Death Book 1 by Scott Snyder and Jeff Lemire

Scott Snyder and Jeff Lemire teamed up for A.D.: After Death. The comic is being released as books rather than issues, which gives them more room to play with. This first book introduces us to Jonah Cooke, who is living in a futuristic world where there’s a cure for death. He talks about life in cycles and a lot of the tasks seen in the book look and feel very mundane.

Before getting into comics, Snyder was known for writing prose stories. In A.D. we see more of that style from him. This book doesn’t take up the mantle of the usual comic book format. Sure, there are panels with word bubbles, but there are also many pages that have Snyder’s story accompanied by one image. The font used for those pages instantly gives off a typewriter feel. It’s an interesting premise with an interesting format.

Snyder and Lemire have never worked on a book together before now. It’s a shame they haven’t because there’s something so unique about this book that it makes you wonder what it would be like for them to team up on other stories. Lemire’s art fits very well with the tone of the story. While it’s set in a more futuristic time, it’s not overloaded with technology. Instead, it’s quite the opposite. We see things like cows, goats, and even a tape throughout the book. It truly is very well done.

Sometimes when you enjoy something, it’s hard to put it into words. That’s how I feel about this book. I’m a huge fan of Snyder’s work in general and while I’m not as familiar with Lemire, I know some of his work, too. Both have great styles and bringing them together is a gift for everyone. There’s no doubt that you should be checking out this book over the holiday season. You can grab a copy of it here.